The forecast for Hurricane Irma and its expected impacts across East Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and southwest North Carolina as of Saturday afternoon, Sept. 9, 2017. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

The National Weather Service in Morristown on Saturday afternoon released updated information on the expected impacts of Hurricane Irma in East Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and southwest North Carolina.

The strong winds and outer rain bands of the hurricane, which has weakened to a Category 3 storm from an earlier Category 5, started hitting the Florida Keys on Saturday as officials warned of a potentially deadly storm surge in southern Florida.

The storm track appeared to have moved farther west than originally forecast, and Hurricane Irma was expected to now have a bigger impact on central and western Florida as it moved up the peninsula.

The remnants of the storm, which had sustained winds of 125 mph on Saturday afternoon, are expected to move across the southeast United States and into the Tennessee Valley, possibly starting Monday afternoon and continuing through Tuesday, with scattered showers through Thursday. [Read more…]

Here is the latest on Hurricane Irma and its possible impacts across East Tennessee next week from the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tennessee. (Image courtesy NWS)

Hurricane Irma is expected to move north across the southeast United States into the Tennessee Valley early next week, and it could bring rain and wind gusts, and cause some rivers to rise, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tennessee.

Hurricane Irma, which has been downgraded to a Category 4 storm, could hit the Florida Keys by late Saturday and heavily populated areas of South Florida on Sunday morning. The deadly hurricane pushed through the Bahamas and onto Cuba on Friday, and it has already caused destruction across the Caribbean.

Current forecasts show Hurricane Irma traveling up the center of the Florida peninsula before hitting Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee, among other states.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said the exact path across the Tennessee Valley is uncertain, which will affect the location and timing of the expected impacts. [Read more…]

Road crews on Friday prepared roads for possible winter weather, including a potential snow, on Saturday, March 11, 2017. This picture was taken on Wisconsin Avenue on Friday afternoon, March 10. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

On Friday, crews prepared roads for possible winter weather this weekend in Oak Ridge and East Tennessee, potentially including snow on Saturday.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said winter will return this weekend with snowfall expected Saturday night across most of the region. Snow accumulations of one to three inches are possible across the Tennessee Valley and Cumberland Plateau, and three to six inches are possible in the Great Smoky Mountains. [Read more…]

Firefighting crews are using helicopters with 500-gallon water baskets to battle wildfires all around the region. They often use water from nearby lakes, like Douglas in East Tennessee, which is near fires in the Cherokee National Forest. (Photo: Tennessee National Guard via TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority has issued a burn ban on all of the public lands, recreation areas, and facility reservations it manages in seven states in the Tennessee Valley. The burn ban is to help ensure public safety during the continuing dry conditions, TVA said in a press release.

“Until further notice, all open flames are prohibited—including campfires, barbeques, smoking, or any other flame-producing activity—as well as vehicle parking on non-paved or gravel surfaces,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Poor air quality will exist today along the Great Smoky Mountains and the Knoxville and Chattanooga metropolitan areas due to smoke from wildfires. Everyone should pay attention to their body and limit prolonged outdoor activities. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

A smoky haze continues in East Tennessee, and an air quality alert has been issued for much of the Tennessee Valley, including the Knoxville area, because of smoke from wildfires, officials said Monday.

People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children were advised to avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. Everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion, according to the forecast on AirNow.gov.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said unhealthy air quality conditions will continue across much of the area today.

“Plumes of smoke from wildfires will continue to linger in the atmosphere across the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachian Mountains,” the National Weather Service said. “The smoke plumes will reduce visibilities and produce poor air quality conditions.” [Read more…]

TVA’s Norris Dam was named to the National Register of Historic Places—just in time for the 80th anniversary of the day the dam began operations. TVA celebrated July 28-30, 2016. Norris is the first TVA-built dam to achieve this honor, which was presented to TVA historian Pat Ezzell, left, by U. S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann at a special dinner held at the dam on Thursday, July 28, 2016. (Photo by Tennessee Valley Authority)

By Tennessee Valley Authority

One of East Tennessee’s most iconic energy sources, and a popular tourist and recreation destination, is officially now a protected American historic resource.

The National Park Service has added majestic Norris Dam, which extends 1,860 feet across the Clinch River in East Tennessee, to the National Register of Historic Places.

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann presented TVA Historian Pat Ezzell the plaque that will be prominently displayed at Norris Dam. Fleischmann bestowed the plaque at a July 28 dinner that celebrated the 80th anniversary of initial operation of TVA’s first hydro project.

Norris Dam is the first TVA dam to receive recognition on the National Registry. It and the nearby town of Norris both are named for George Norris, the Nebraska senator who authored the TVA Act. He also is known as the father of the Tennessee Valley Authority. [Read more…]

The “Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient (MORE2)” Program will be hosting a kickoff event for Oak Ridge residents on Tuesday, April 26, from 4-6 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Civic Center Social Room. The event is an opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about this new program for qualified, low-income residents in the community, a press release said.

Information on other energy-saving programs will also be available for those who do not qualify for the MORE2 program.

The City of Oak Ridge is kicking off the MORE2 program to perform “whole-home, deep energy retrofits” for 229 qualified residents in homes that are at least 20 years old. The project goal is to reduce electrical energy usage in all-electric homes to improve the quality of life for lower income residents and homeowners by significantly increasing the efficiency and comfort of their homes.

Attendees at this event will receive energy-saving items and informant about low- to no-expense energy-saving practices that can immediately improve energy savings in homes. [Read more…]

Temperatures could be frigid in the Tennessee Valley tonight, dropping to between 5 and 15 degrees, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters advised residents to let their faucets drip overnight and bring pets inside.

Also, make sure any space heaters are kept away from anything that could catch fire.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said prolonged outdoor exposure could lead to frostbite and hypothermia. [Read more…]

Includes discussion of federal missions in Oak Ridge

Registration for the annual Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit closes Monday. The summit will include a discussion of federal missions in Oak Ridge.

Organizers expect more than 300 national and regionals leaders at the 20th Annual Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit. It’s being held at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City on May 27-28. The Summit will be at the D.P. Culp University Center at ETSU.

“Hundreds of regional leaders will gather in Johnson City to focus on education from the business and industry perspective at the 20th annual Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit,” a press release said. “The sessions at the two-day event will focus on how to ensure tomorrow’s workforce has the skills they need to find quality jobs at home and how the region’s educational institutions can partner with businesses and organizations for better success.” [Read more…]

Linemen Michael Goodpaster, left, and Steve Wilson prepare to demonstrate the Oak Ridge Electric Department’s new hybrid bucket truck, which uses electricity rather than diesel to operate its bucket boom.

The Oak Ridge Electric Department has a new hybrid bucket truck that uses quiet electricity rather than noisy diesel to power its bucket boom, making it easier for workers to communicate and reducing emissions and neighborhood noise.

Workers said the electric-powered boom is as fast as traditional diesel-powered booms, and the improved worker communications with the new, quieter booms helps them stay safe.

Officials said the city’s Electric Department is one of several local power companies partnering with the Tennessee Valley Authority to bring energy-efficient, hybrid electric-powered bucket trucks to the Tennessee Valley. The new trucks are funded in part by a grant from TVA, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Oak Ridge received one plug-in hybrid bucket truck in October and is awaiting delivery of a plug-in hybrid pickup truck. [Read more…]

Heavy snowfall is expected across much of the region starting tonight and continuing through midday Thursday, forecasters said.

Snow had already started falling in Oak Ridge sometime around 8 p.m. Wednesday. The new snow follows a few inches of snow that fell on Tuesday morning, and other wintry precipitation last week, including an icy mix on Monday and snow on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said there could be between three to six inches of snow across much of the Tennessee Valley, Cumberland Plateau, and Smoky Mountain foothills between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Higher amounts of five to eight inches are expected across southwest North Carolina and the high elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains, including U.S. Highway 441 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

A winter storm warning has been issued for many counties across East Tennessee, including Anderson, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, and Union.

A winter storm warning is in effect in parts of East Tennessee—including Anderson, Knox, Loudon, and Roane counties—and there could be some snow this morning, possibly mixed with sleet, forecasters said. The precipitation could change to a mix of mostly freezing rain and sleet during the day, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown. It could change back to sleet or snow before tapering off.

The NWS said snow and sleet accumulations of one to four inches are possible, and total ice accumulations of a quarter to a half inch are possible.

The winter storm warning area includes Clinton and Oak Ridge, as well as Kingston and Knoxville. It also includes Jefferson, Grainger, and Union counties, and northwest Blount and north Sevier counties. The storm warning is in effect from 7 a.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Tuesday. [Read more…]